People and businesses may wish to make increasing use of couriers for delivery of parcels, including to homes unattended by intended parcel recipients. An intended recipient may wish to secure a received parcel, even when not at home, against risk of theft. Otherwise, a thief may steal a parcel left unattended outside the home. Couriers, and companies with a large home delivery component in their business models, may benefit from a device, system, or method that makes it more difficult for would-be thieves to steal parcels left unattended outside the home.
Ideally, such a device, system, or method might be usable with a wide variety of parcel sizes, might require a courier to spend only a few moments in securing a parcel, and might require a home user to spend only a few moments in releasing a secured parcel—all while making it more difficult for a would-be thief to otherwise make off with the parcel. And, with increased confidence in parcel delivery, even while users are away, the economy may see increased adoption of courier home delivery, greater profits for associated businesses, and greater customer satisfaction and confidence.
In fields far removed from any associated with courier delivery of parcels, it may have been known, for example, to provide retail security devices with spools that unwind cable loops of desired lengths to wrap around merchandise articles, and with locking mechanisms that otherwise prevented the unwinding of those spools.
In other fields, it may have been known to provide a lock with a cable secured to, and slidably received within, a housing. The cable may have been slidable between a locked position (whereat an otherwise movable item was secured to a fixed object) and an unlocked position (whereat the item could be removed from the fixed object). A rotatable locking mechanism may have alternately allowed the cable to slide between different locked positions, and/or prevented its movement in the locked position. Variations on such locks also may have been known, including a variety of different devices, e.g., as follows: wherein an end of a cable fixed to a slidable locking device may have been detachable; wherein both ends of a cable may have been able to slide through the lock in a tightening direction when locked; or wherein the lock may have been unlocked by turning a dial to a correct sequence.
Further, it may have been known to provide a locking device having two movable clamp jaws and an actuation lever designed to receive a padlock in a locked position. Elsewhere, it may have been known to provide a tightening device with a movable clamping jaw that permitted a shoelace to be tightened only, with a lever that may have been pressed to release the clamping jaws and loosen the shoelace.
It additionally may have been known to provide a lock, for an adjustable cable loop, with three locking positions. The cable may have been freely movable (relative to the lock) in the first position, only tightenable in the second position, and of fixed length and not adjustable in the third position.
Prior art and/or art in non-analogous fields may have suffered from one or more shortcomings and/or disadvantages which may preferably be readily appreciable by and/or suggested, in view of the teachings and/or disclosures hereof, to those skilled in the art associated with courier delivery of parcels.
What may be needed is a device with a cable tightening mechanism and a separate locking mechanism that does not directly affect the function of the cable tightening mechanism. What may be needed is a such device which also enables lengthening of the cable loop, while the cable loop is locked, if an item has not yet been secured by the device.
There may be a need for a device, system and/or method which:                can be used to lock and/or secure parcels delivered by a courier;        adjusts to fit a wide variety of parcel sizes;        permits a parcel to be placed in a cable loop, and/or with a handle on an end of the cable being pulled to tighten the cable about the parcel;        takes a courier only a few moments (e.g., perhaps about 10-15 seconds) to secure a parcel;        permits the cable to move freely through a mechanism to allow the cable to tighten about the parcel, and/or restrains the cable from being loosened or released until the owner unlocks and removes the parcel;        will give a user confidence that a parcel delivered to the user's home, while the user is away, will be there when the user returns;        permits an owner to remove a first parcel and make it ready for a second parcel in only a few moments (e.g., perhaps about 20-30 seconds);        uses a simple mechanism; and/or        is easy to use.        
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate one or more disadvantages and/or shortcomings associated with the prior art, to meet or provide for one or more needs and/or advantages, and/or to achieve one or more objects of the invention—one or more of which may preferably be readily appreciable by and/or suggested to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings and/or disclosures hereof.